I Will Seduce The Northern Duke
chapter-149

My goddess.

Kalcion had clearly rehearsed the words beforehand, uttering ‘Queen of the North.' However, as the cheers of the crowd filled her ears as she passed by, arbitrarily paraphrased it. In terms of the words’ difficulty, she was more like a goddess than a queen, though the word could be unfamiliar.

Contrary to his previous awkwardness at the castle wall, Kalcion now spoke with natural fluidity. It was evident that he truly meant every word he said.

The impact of his sincere praise caused Selina to stagger in shock, witnessing his seemingly exaggerated adoration growing exponentially within seconds. It was even terrifying to see his silly praises growing rapidly in seconds.

Yet, even with her mind momentarily adrift, she never lost sight of her duty. With a gentle smile, she gazed at Kalcion and delivered her speech with the grace of a goddess.

“Thank you for welcoming me again.”

“I hope you stay as comfortable as you want to stay. All Renbirds will work for your comfort.”

“Thank you.”

“There's nothing I can be more grateful for than your visit.”

Kalcion, who had learned how to perfectly respond to nobles, even expressed his affection through his honey-dripping voice.

“….”

She felt a sense of crisis.

Somehow, it seemed that she was losing the second round of the acting battle in this world to him. She couldn’t say it was bad or something she didn’t like, but she was just bewildered.

“Then, shall we go in?”

Kalcion tenderly offered to accompany her and Selina, though she smiled outwardly, felt her inner self tremble as she placed her hand on his arm.

Every time their eyes met, Kalcion's bright smile seemed oblivious to the concept of ‘protecting one's dignity.’ If he had been a mischievous playboy seeking to amuse himself by seducing a simple country girl, Selina would have found amusement in his actions.

However, she couldn't deny that everything he did was genuine.

Part of her wanted to playfully smack him on the back and exclaim, ‘Ah, you’re really!’ But as the embodiment of a goddess at that moment, she restrained herself.

With grace, she lifted her chin and proceeded slowly, her hand resting on Kalcion's arm while holding the reins of the beast with her other hand. As the wind seemed to blow at just the right time, as if the scene called for a mythical or legendary effect, her flowing hair and the elegant gown she wore added to the perfect tableau.

Cheers followed them persistently as they walked, their pace deliberate. Even after the gates closed, the resounding applause lingered beyond the confines of the entrance.

“What is a goddess, all of a sudden.”

In the midst of the cheers, she stabbed Kalcion in the side.

“It just looked like the moment for it.”

“….”

There was a saying that you didn’t feed the fish you catch.

Now that she loved Kalcion, that was why she decided to stay a little longer. Normally, it would be either a stable period or a desperate courtship, but he was the opposite. His expression overflowed as if he had been putting up with it until now.

Selina felt as if she was about to drown at the uncontrollable silly praises.

As the gates closed, the maids and servants waiting in front of the gates bowed their heads in unison.

“Welcome back.”

This was the third time she entered with Kalcion.

What was different from before was the absence of Mrs. Janet. Although officially holding the position of head maid, she functioned more as a butler and overseer. So, without her presence, there was no one to step forward and act as a representative to greet and engage in conversation.

Undoubtedly, a fierce power struggle had already commenced behind the scenes, likely culminating in Mrs. Janet being stripped of her authority. In her absence, the other staff members were left without a clear figure to follow or receive proper instructions.

According to protocol, a servant would typically approach and attend to them upon their arrival in a horse or carriage. Still, no one approached the beast that they rode upon.

Looking at the hesitant servants, Selina said first.

“Since the beast cannot be kept in the stable, why not tie it to one side of the training ground?”

“That would be nice.”

As the two headed for the training ground, the servants hesitantly surrounded them and followed them.

When she saw a strong tree in the corner of the training ground and tied the reins, the beast grunted and looked at her. Selina inserted her hand into a honey container in her waistband and then pulled it out and thrust it into the beast's nose.

“Grrrk!”

The beast licked her hand in delight.

Now, even if the beast licked her hand, she would not freeze or become nervous. Initially, when the beast grew hungry, it would attempt to devour either her or Kalcion. However, he would swiftly strike it on the nose to deter such behavior.

The beast also had intelligence. It learned to recognize opponents it couldn't overpower and individuals it needed to appease.

Every time it was beaten by Kalcion, the beast would retreat, covering its nose with its paws, behaving just like a regular animal.

As an experiment, Selina decided to offer the grilled meat she had hunted, thinking that perhaps she could tame the creature through food. Nonetheless, what she stumbled upon was an accidental discovery…

Without any seasoning to enhance the flavor, she had coated the meat with honey obtained from the fields she had brought with her from the other world. Surprisingly, the beast showed greater interest in the honey rather than the meat itself.

At the sight of the honey, the beast cast aside its ferocious facade and transformed into a playful puppy, relinquishing its wild nature and identity.

Therefore, the whip and the carrot method was thus discovered.

…Operation Goddess also emerged at that time.

Originally, Kalcion's plan was to inform others that Selina possessed the ability to read the records of the Archwizard written in an unknown language. However, it didn't garner much attention and proved challenging to convey effectively. He wasn't certain if it would make a significant impact.

On the other hand, the concept of a goddess who possessed magical powers was self-evident and easily comprehensible, even to a three-year-old child. To capture the public's attention, they needed a captivating spectacle.

To achieve this, Selina had to tame the beast and train it until she could ride it and take control of the reins.

As expected, the outcome was a tremendous success.

“Oh, look at that! The beast is offering itself!”

Even the servants were successfully bewitched.

Selina laughed and stroked the beast’s mane proudly. The beast nodded pleasantly and licked Selina's hand more violently.

“Wow! The beast is acting like a puppy!”

“She must be a real goddess!”

Although it sounded like they were whispering among themselves, they didn't even notice that their voices got louder because they were excited.

After giving the public a bountiful show of what they wanted to see, Selina turned to Kalcion.

“The castle will be noisy for a while.”

“So much so, Goddess.”

“…You don't have to do that if it's just the two of us.”

“Ah, stop looking like a real goddess then.”

Saying so, Kalcion smiled casually as he brought his lips to the back of her hand.

She couldn’t count how many times it had happened since then. The back of her hand is probably dented by now.

A sense of crisis washed over her once again.

She came to realize that the beast was most docile when it had its fill of food. Reflecting on this, she contemplated that perhaps the most dangerous entity in this world wasn’t the creatures themselves, but Kalcion.

The most perilous being she had ever tamed now displayed shimmering eyes, occasionally dripping with honey. It was impossible to predict when, where, how, or what would satiate him.

A shiver ran down her spine.

“At least Duke, please be a little more rational.”

“I must be the most irrational person… and Kalcion.”

As part of the planning for Operation Goddess, one of the changes implemented was the title used to address Kalcion.

The title of Duke wasn’t overly formal, but it clearly denoted his rank. Still, Selina made the decision to address him by his name, as per Kalcion's promise to elevate her to a being that surpassed all ranks in the human world.

‘I called him Cioni, so is Kalcion difficult?'

That was what Selina thought, but the issue lay in habit.

If she didn't consciously think about it, the title of Duke would slip out. Nevertheless, it appeared that Kalcion was quite pleased when she called him by his name. Whenever she made mistakes, he would attempt to correct her.

‘He was at a loss when I called him Cioni.’

Conversely, it was Selina who was at a loss.

After all, people think of the other person's point of view only when they themselves suffer. Every time Kalcion forced his name, her lips dried and her throat tightened.

“…Kalcion.”

With the name barely leaving her lips, Kalcion smiled brightly as if he had won the world, so she couldn't stop calling him. Selina lost, too, but she smiled in a happy, complicated mood.

“Shall we go in?”

“Yes.”

Fatigue weighed heavily on her as she traversed the treacherous Beast Mountains. Her body, untouched by a proper bath for several days, protested with discomfort at every movement.

Upon entering the building, the people that had assembled outside surged forward once again. Among them, she spotted familiar faces of servants who would occasionally seek out Kalcion.

“Your Excellency, I apologize for not giving you time to rest, but it seems like we have to go to the meeting right away because of the urgency.”

“Should I go in with you?”

She was a goddess who came to protect Renbird, so it was only right that she did not leave and show her face because this was her role as a model.

“I will receive the report first and sort out the situation. Goddess, you can come to take a seat when it's convenient for you.”

As Kalcion spoke first, the servant missed the chance to ask, ‘Who is she to be in this position?' If he entered the meeting and explained the general circumstances, it would be more clearly organized.

“Then, I’ll see you in a while.”

When Selina turned around and headed towards the room, a few maids quietly followed her. They all knew each other anyway.

Same Renbird Castle, same maids.

When she escaped the loud cheers, she finally realized that she had returned to Renbird. Everything was the same, except that her position was slightly different. As Selina went into the bathtub, basked in exhaustion and dust, one of the maids approached her cautiously.

“Excuse me, Lady Selina. You must be very tired. How about an oil massage?”

“It’s… good, but…”

The maids' gazes at her were unusual.

“Then, I will!”

“No, me!”

It was unfamiliar to see them fiercely claiming to work. They weren't the ones who wanted to work this much before.

Still, Selina was familiar with it.

Curiosity, anticipation, and longing mixed in their eyes. They looked impatient to touch even one more of her fingertips. Stardom didn’t come from looks alone. What was more important than appearance was the person's ‘image,’ that was, the person's ‘background narrative.’

Now that was how she was.

It felt very comfortable, like coming back to her hometown.